Cars&Bids is looking for a buyer interested in a 1967 Datsun Fairlady 2000 looking just like a Hot Wheels car – because it actually did inspire one. The bidding has been idling at a low $10,100 with only a day before the closure, so make sure to check it out.
According to The Drive citing the owner of the car who apparently works at Mattel, he was once given an opportunity to decide what car gets added to the Hot Wheels lineup next. He realized that there was already a Datsun Fairlady on the list, but still persuaded the managers that the company could use another version – with a fresh blue-and-white racing livery and fashionable eight-spoke wheels. A total of 4,000 such toy cars were made.
To achieve maximum semblance, the owner replaced the soft top of his own ride with a removable hard top and wrapped it in a matching livery with the starting number 55. He also rebuilt the 2.0-liter engine of the 59-year-old roadster, replacing the carbs, the intake system and the ignition. It remains unclear whether the output is anywhere close to this model’s factory-rated 135 PS (133 hp / 99 kW).